That’s why you make public schools better instead of drain more money from them to give a limited number of people lifeboats. It doesn’t matter if individuals acting in their own interest would choose to use them. Of course they’d use the vouchers for their own kids even if that meant a little less money available for public schools.
The fact that people would use the vouchers is not proof that the vouchers are a good idea or that public schools are not. It is simply the very predictable outcome of pretty much any time you give individuals the choice to act in their own self-interest over the needs of the population as a whole.
Many/most people if given the choice would also opt to skip jury duty, or to not pay taxes, or to cut to the front of busy lines. This is not evidence that those things are bad. It is evidence that you can’t give them the choice
Private schools already exist, why does private enterprise need the government’s help ?
Besides people already pay for public schools all the time by moving to an area with “good schools”. So the answer is to adequately fund public schools.
It’s a distributive effect of the social safety net
Currently, your property tax (well, the property tax of everyone in your administrative district) pays for your local public schools. Consider this as school tuition.
But this disincentives people from sending their kids to private schools since they would then be paying tuition twice, once via property tax to the local public school and second to the private school.
One solution is school vouchers where you use the property tax money for the private school tuition. Makes the public schools compete fairly with the private schools and allows not so well off folks to send their kids to private schools if they want.
Should I as a parent be forced to send my kids to a shitty school because of where I am residing and my lack of wealth?
dkh|11 months ago
The fact that people would use the vouchers is not proof that the vouchers are a good idea or that public schools are not. It is simply the very predictable outcome of pretty much any time you give individuals the choice to act in their own self-interest over the needs of the population as a whole.
Many/most people if given the choice would also opt to skip jury duty, or to not pay taxes, or to cut to the front of busy lines. This is not evidence that those things are bad. It is evidence that you can’t give them the choice
foogazi|11 months ago
Besides people already pay for public schools all the time by moving to an area with “good schools”. So the answer is to adequately fund public schools.
It’s a distributive effect of the social safety net
kelipso|11 months ago
But this disincentives people from sending their kids to private schools since they would then be paying tuition twice, once via property tax to the local public school and second to the private school.
One solution is school vouchers where you use the property tax money for the private school tuition. Makes the public schools compete fairly with the private schools and allows not so well off folks to send their kids to private schools if they want.
Should I as a parent be forced to send my kids to a shitty school because of where I am residing and my lack of wealth?